In 1972, my grandfather talked about Danny “Little Pink” Lopez.
Grampa lived in Rosemead, CA, roughly 20 miles from the Olympic Auditorium, the place Lopez fought 26 instances from 1971 to 78.
In early ’72, Lopez fought fellow hotshot, Arturo “Tury the Fury” Pineda, in what was billed because the “Battle of the Teeny-boppers.” Grampa was apprehensive however assured.
“That child (Lopez) is hard,” stated Grampa. “He takes punches to land his personal, and when he does, they don’t rise up.”
Grampa was proper. Lopez entered the struggle in opposition to Pineda with 10 knockouts in 10 fights. He exited it together with his eleventh KO. Alongside the best way, he was staggered a couple of instances earlier than sending Pineda to dreamland.
This sample would repeat itself quite a few instances throughout the course of his profession. Lopez would get wobbled, go down, rise up, and nearly all the time knock out his opponent. It was like getting knocked down woke him up.
The spectacle was wonderful to observe. Standing simply over 5-foot-7 and weighing 126 kilos soaking moist, Lopez regarded like a scarecrow with pink hair, however his proper hand was loaded with dynamite. He was emotionless within the ring, stalking his prey, seeking to launch his murderous punch.
I considered this as I watched Danny make his manner via a crowd of admirers on the fifth annual Nationwide Boxing Corridor of Fame in Montebello, CA. final weekend. All people needed to get their image taken with him. So lots of his fights are memorable.
On the time, Lopez was can’t miss TV. Most of his bouts had been wars. He typically stated if he may hit a man, he’d knock him out. So true. Lopez was old skool. He’d take three to land one. However that one would typically finish issues. Lethal, however, for boxing followers, thrilling to observe.
In 1974, Lopez fought fellow unbeaten featherweight Bobby “Schoolboy” Chacon. The sold-out crowd on the Los Angeles Sports activities Enviornment was buzzing with pleasure as the 2 phenoms met up. Their data had been near an identical. Lopez was 23-0, with 22 knockouts. Chacon had scored 23 wins in 24 fights, knocking out 21 foes. His solely loss was to the legendary Rubén Olivares.
Thirty-nine years later, I interviewed Chacon at a restaurant close to Staples Heart in Los Angeles. I requested him what he remembered concerning the struggle.
“I used to spar with Danny and he’d whup me on a regular basis,” Chacon recalled. “Then my supervisor stated we had been going to struggle him. Once we had been sparring, I used to be studying a lot about Danny. All that sparring made me a greater fighter. So, after we fought, I used to be prepared. I knew the place he was. My proper hand stored discovering him.”
Sure it did—and his left. Chacon, smaller however faster, stopped Lopez in spherical 9. The loss may have derailed Lopez’s profession, however as all the time, his coronary heart propelled him ahead. Grampa took his loss fairly onerous, however he stored telling me that Lopez can be a champ sometime.
After two extra losses (one avenged) and knock-out victories over former titleholders Chu Chu Castillo and Olivares, that day got here in 1976, when Lopez traveled to Accra, Ghana to face WBC featherweight champion David Kotay.
The percentages appeared in opposition to him, however Lopez stalked and rocked, profitable the title by unanimous determination. He gave Kotay a rematch and stopped the previous champ in spherical six.
In 1979, Lopez engaged in “The Ring Struggle of the 12 months” with robust Mike Ayala. The battle was a conflict of attrition as every fighter landed hellacious blows. Lopez broke Ayala’s nostril, profitable by stoppage within the fifteenth and remaining spherical.
The yr earlier than, he had fought cagey challenger Juan Domingo Malvarez on the Silverdome in New Orleans, LA. Malvarez, winner of 26 fights in succession, knocked Lopez down within the first spherical and staggered him a couple of minutes later. He was profitable, proper? No. As all the time with Lopez, all it took was one. That one landed within the second spherical and crumbled Malvarez. The Argentina native didn’t rise up for 5 minutes.
In complete, Lopez defended his title eight instances. His reign as featherweight champion resulted in 1980 when he confronted future Corridor of Famer Salvador Sanchez.
The struggle was brutal, with Sanchez stopping Lopez. Sanchez repeated the feat 4 months later. Lopez retired.
An ill-advised comeback occurred 12 years later. His logic, that he “needed to know,” made sense. Grampa talked about Lopez until his dying day. He’d snort, and shake his head, and mutter, “What a fighter that redhead was.”
The love boxing followers have for Lopez is deep and heartfelt. He was the last word warrior, who put it on the road in each certainly one of his fights. Everytime I see him, I shake his hand, not just for me, however for my Gramps.
Danny “Little Pink” Lopez is one for the ages.
